Orange Free State (South Africa)

Oranje Vrijstaat (Suid Afrika)

Last modified: 2002-05-18 by jarig bakker
Keywords: south africa | orange free state | orange river colony |
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by Herman de Wael, 24 Feb 1998

• Orange Free State (1854-1904)
• Orange River Colony (1904-1910)
• Orange Free State CoA
• OFS spurious CoA

• South Africa
• Orange Free State (Province) (1910-1994)

Orange Free State (1854- 1904)

This flag was registered as the flag of the Republic of Orange Free State for the Office of the Prime Minister together with the flag of the South African Republic on 30 April 1983 (application 8 january 1982, amendment 5 March 1982). Certificates were issued for both in Afrikaans on 14 October 1983.
The text in English for the flag Republic of Orange Free State:
A rectangular flag proportions three by two, consisting of seven horizontal stripes of equal width alternately white and orange and a canton of three stripes, red, white and blue in the proportions four by three.
Source: "Some South African flags, 1940-1990" compiled by F.G. Brownell, the State Herald, june 1991.
Mark Sensen, 8 Mar 1999

Orange River Colony (1904-1910)

Were any British Ensigns in use in South Africa pre-1910? What were the flags of the Cape Colony and Natal? Did the Boer states retain their "native" flags under British control?
Josh Fruhlinger, 1 Oct 1996

Yes - SAVA published a Journal entitled "The Union Jack over Southern and Central Africa, 1795 - 1994" in1994 which covers all these flags (and those used in what is now Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi etc).
Orange River Colony - Blue Ensign with badge (1904 - 1910)
Bruce Berry, 7 Oct 1996

OFS CoA

The actual arms of the republic were quite different, as you'll see at my website.
Arms taken into use on 23 February 1857, the third anniversary of the Oranje Vrij Staat. The blazon, as quoted by F G
Brownell, reads:
Arms: On a shield Argent, between three bugle horns Azure, garnished and stringed Gules, a representation of the seal of the Orange Free State Republic as adopted in 1856, viz. on a white roundel, in chief a tree on an island, between dexter, three sheep and sinister, a natural lion supporting the tree with his dexter paw, in base a Voortrekker wagon on an island all proper; on a ribbon draped fesswise, the motto GEDULD EN MOED, above the tree the word VRYHEID and below the wagon the word IMMIGRATIE; behind the shield on two staves in saltire with ball and spear point Or, two flags of the same Republic draped on both sides, each with seven stripes visible, alternately white and orange and a canton of three stripes, red, white and blue.
The story of how the OVS got its odd concoction of a coat of arms was especially interesting to me, since it involved a tricky situation that my ancestor President Boshof had to deal with.
You'll see on my page an illustration of one of the drafts put forward to the Dutch king for his grant to the Boer republic. I hope to have a second illustration, of a rather different draft design, on the page early next year.
Mike Oettle, 14 Dec 2001

OFS spurious CoA

I found interesting COA of Oranje Free State. Why the flags which decorated the shield are 'Vierkleurs' of South African
Republic? Why not Oranje striped Flags?
Victor Lomantsov, 26 Dec 2000

That's a curious coat of arms you illustrate for the Oranje Vrij Staat. It's certainly irregular, and it seems to me to have been concocted by some European supporter of the Boer republics during the South African War.
I did try to find the website where the odd illustration came from, but the URL seems to have changed or been cancelled.
Mike Oettle, 14 Dec 2001